RALPH WHITWORTH

AGE: 51
OCCUPATION: Founder and principal of Relational Investors, LLC
NUMBER OF TIME COVERS: 0
PREVIOUS APPEARANCES ON THE TIME 100: 0

PRO: Runs a $2.2 billion activist investment fund, overthrew Home Depot and tossed out its chief executive who had long been a target of criticism for his inflated compensation and the company's low stock price.

CON: Activist shareholders such as Whitworth are often dismissed as politically motivated or attention seeking.